Is this a new or old house? If newer housing yes it would require a window, but if the house predates the code then it does not have to be retrofitted in my opinion. Many older homes did not have closets they had armoirs (sp?) (free standing closet)

Ray,

Good point. Just concerned about the potential for getting a hail storm started by suggesting that rooms without EERO’s are not sleeping rooms. This could potentially have a severe effect on price, especially if the seller believes it to be a three bedroom.

I don’t have commentaries in my IRC. Seems like they are helpful. Where’d you get 'em?

It’s called the 2003 “IRC Commentary” (much like the NEC “Handbook”), and it can be purchased from the ICC website. I don’t think you have to be a member to purchase this.

I purchased the 2006 IRC recently and it came with all the 2006 “I” Codes - Plumbing Code, Mechanical Code, Fire Code, Building Code, Residential Code and Existing Building Code. Very cool. . . This is a membership package, however.

Just concerned about the potential for getting a hail storm started by suggesting that rooms without EERO’s are not sleeping rooms.

I’ll bet that if you check with Building and Safety, there is no “grandfathering” or other provision that will allow a sleeping room that does not meet EERO requirements.

Recently, my mother, who rents out rooms in her house… shared living, had a problem with one of her renters. the renter called the fire dept. to try to have them site her for unsafe living conditions. The tenant removed all the batteries from the smoke detectors first.

My mother has a walk out basement that she lives in. The garage is a basement access garage. Her bedroom has a 10’ window that is acceptable for egress & the livingroom has a door to outside, 10’ egress window, door to the garage (2- 10’ doors and a 3-0 exterior door) and the stairs going up.

The fire dept. said that he basement had plenty of emergency egresses. The would not consider the exit to the garage as an egress though but they would count the stairs as an egress???

As for the smoke alarms… The Fire Dept. told the renter that she had better replace the batteries due to the log that my mother keeps showing that she tests each and every one of them every month and replaces the batteries every four month. (They were all replaced 2 months ago & tested just 3 days prior.) The renter was pissed… but she did replace all the batteries before they left. They then informed her that if their were any further problems that she would be held responsible.

In my area it would depend on the age of the structure. Twice this year, I’ve done an inspection on 3 bedroom houses with one being a basement bedroom. The listing sheet called them a 3 bedroom house. The one bedroom in the basement on each had a small window about 5.5’ off the floor that was about 2’ square. We brought to the buyers attention this was not a legitimate bedroom. The agent and buyer called the city. The City said their records indicated it was a 3 bedroom house. It was 38 years old. Go figure.

Codes usually have a basis in common sense. Regardless, forget about codes and err on the side of caution. A bedroom should have natural light and ventilation, and a means of emergency exit and egress.

We should all remember life safety codes, which in most towns/cities require egress not for the resident trapped inside but the first responder trying to save them, thus requiring X amount of space with an air pack on to rescue whoever is trapped inside

We should all remember life safety codes, which in most towns/cities require egress not for the resident trapped inside but the first responder trying to save them, thus requiring X amount of space with an air pack on to rescue whoever is trapped inside

Q. Do you have a definition of a bedroom in the Dwelling Code? I’m currently building a house which has a specific room dedicated as a exercise/weight room. The inspector is calling it a bedroom and requiring me to install smoke alarms and an egress window. This room is not a bedroom and I feel it’s wrong for the inspector to insist on these requirements. Doesn’t a bedroom have to have a closet or something like that? This room doesn’t have a closet and has a lot of special wiring done to accommodate the exercise equipment, which should make it obvious we plan on using it for a exercise/weight room.A. The Dwelling Code does not define bedroom, so we need to go to the dictionary for a definition. The definition in the dictionary is; "**bed-room: **a room furnished with a bed and intended primarily forsleeping."
It is not uncommon for someone to submit a set of plans which has an extra room designated as a den, office, weight room, library, etc. The primary use in these rooms is not intended for sleeping. However some contractors and/or homeowners may designate a room as a den or office to circumvent the local SDC’s (System Development Charges) or septic tank requirements or sometimes the original owner may use this room as it was designated on the plans, but the next owner has a larger family or their mother-law living with them and they end up using the “den” as a bedroom. The cost of smoke detection and appropriate egress windows is small compare to the cost of a human life, therefore it may be advantageous for the local jurisdiction to require these safety provisions, but the homeowner/contractor should be given the benefit of the doubt for the purpose of the SDC’s. It is inappropriate for a jurisdiction to tell a homeowner/contractor how each room of their home will be used or classified. There are many times when it is obvious the room in question is not a bedroom, i.e. no closets, a door leading to the outside to be used as a office entrance, wall of shelving for library use, special provisions for exercise equipment, etc. These rooms need to be treated as designate on the plans, not based on speculated future use. If, however, this room had a closet in it and the only distinguishing difference is that it’s called a “den” on the plan, then the requirements for smoke detectors and egress windows would be appropriate.

I found this in the Oregon Salem Newsletter a whole long time ago. I think it has to do with Oregon interpretation.

Jae

The same thing happens here in Ontario as far as the plans showing only 4 bedrooms and 1 den.The reason they do this here is for HVAC systems,they would have to be designed under a differant part of the code and it can get costly.

For my fellow Ontario inspectors Under 5 bedrooms Part 9—5 bedrooms and Over part 6